Graveyard Parties and Peanut Butter Chicken

T.I.M.

The big black pickup truck bounced to a stop in between two sedans in the dirt parking lot. From my perch in the bed of the truck, I surveyed the sight: A big blue Pepsi tailgating tent. At least two venders, pushing around their bicycle/platforms thingies, selling ice cream and water ice to parched children, families, and couples, who milled to and fro between their cars and the main attraction. A large truck/trailer, which seemed to be delivering a set of large speakers to a platform under the tent. Multiple rows of cars smushed into the small lot, which baked in the hot Campeche sun. And oh yes, the main attraction itself: an extensive, chalky marble graveyard.

It was November 2, 2010, the day following Dia de Muertos (Day of the Dead), one of the most important celebrations in Mexico. And oh yes, my friends, believe me when I say it is a celebration.

I was visiting a friend in Campeche, a city located on the Yucatan Peninsula on the Gulf Coast and he and I had the privilege of accompanying a Mexican family (close friends of his) to visit the graves of three of their most dear relatives (two nieces who died young, about 15 or 20 years ago, and a grandmother).

If I haven’t already made it obvious, I was totally surprised by the party atmosphere in the cemetery that day (for crying out loud, tailgating tents and speakers?!). In the U.S., we regard our dead in a very somber, Debbie-downer fashion. In Mexico, Day of the Dead is a celebration of the memories of loved ones who have passed on. In homes, makeshift altars are built, pictures laid out, candles lit, favorite foods of the dead ones cooked, and stories told of the people who are being remembered. Families visit the graves, bearing fresh flowers and candles to place on the headstone. Sure, at times it borders on the excessive, but overall I believe it is a beautiful way to remember loved ones and honor their legacy.

I felt honored to have authentically experienced this day with a Mexican family.

W.I.A.

Another tradition of Dia de Muertos is called Pibil Pollo (which is pronounced “P.B. Pollo,” hence the title of this blogpost). A Mayan (I think?) dish typical of the Yucatan Peninsula region, I ate this Mexican shepherd’s pie three days straight, nearly fulfilling my friend’s promise that I’d gain 5 kilos during my week in Campeche! Here is a picture of the dish, which is supposed to be wrapped in banana leaves and cooked in an earth oven (pit/hole in the ground), but is often cooked in a regular oven for convenience:

Of course I ate lots of other things in Campeche, some of which are…

Homemade fried fish

Homemade baked fish

Maja Blanca, a velvety coconut pudding slice of heaven

Homemade chiles stuffed with mashed potatoes, meat and cheese

Octopus Salad

Shrimp soup

Slow-cooked ribs (my friend’s cousin/best friend Gustavo owns a rib place)

Rib tacos

And after an entire week of being with my friend’s cousins, grandmother, aunts and uncles, half-brothers and mom, as I felt the homesickness coming on, I indulged in Frosted Flakes, my breakfast of youth. The Spanish translation, “Zucaritas,” can be translated roughly as “Lil’ sugar jawns.” Gotta love it.

W.I.L.T.

The sounds of the waves, duh.

The streets of Campeche: